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PaperclipPerfector  2d ago (text post)   1641 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for January 18, 2026

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.

Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.

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I felt like a lot of my job as a programmer was always a few months of mental atrophy away from being totally forgotten. And now that I've not had a real programming job for a while, I'm pretty sure that is exactly what happened. I remember in broad strokes what I've done. But the specifics have to be relearned almost every time. The only skill I ever had as a programmer was being fast at looking up how to program things. Now that coding AIs exist that skill isn't even unique.

Finance and tax related things are also things I have to constantly relearn or look up. The only financial things I'm good at remembering are things that have zero personal utility.

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